The grounds crew waters the infield at Coors Field this afternoon before Game 4 of the World Series.

Rockies fan Henry Burke, 8, makes his way down the stands Sunday to try and get autographs from his favorite players before the start of Game 4 of the World Series between the Colorado Rockies and Boston Red Sox at Coors Field.

For the Rockies to make this a competitive World Series, it starts with the start. They have played with one lead against the Red Sox, going up 1-0 in Game 2. They have spent the rest of the Series trailing, sometimes badly, from the outset.

“It’s challenging. It’s almost like having your power play defense on the ice. That’s the analogy I draw,” manager Clint Hurdle said today before Game 4 at Coors Field. “We need to find a way to throw a first punch. Not just get ahead 1-0, to get after it and play in front with a little distance.”

The lineup responsible for doing damage will look slightly different than the one Saturday night. With left-handed Jon Lester starting for the Red Sox, right-handed hitting Ryan Spilborghs will start in center field and hit sixth. Brad Hawpe drops to seventh, not as a demotion, but as a strategic move. If a left-hander comes in to face Todd Helton in the cleanup spot, he would have to go through two righties before reaching Hawpe.

Helton talked of the importance of “pressing the issue because Boston hasn’t given us anything.”

Hurdle talked extensively about why his team didn’t test David Ortiz at first base. “Big Papi” is considered suspect defensively but didn’t have to handle a single bunt attempt. That’s because, according to Hurdle, the Rockies couldn’t play for a single run after falling behind 6-0.

“What am I going to bunt in the first inning? That’s not why I put (Troy) Tulowitzki in there. I didn’t flip the lineup around to bunt,” Hurdle said. “Then they get ahead big, and you don’t want to start popping down bunts. I understand the concept, but we have to be respectful of doing what we need to do to win a game, not just try to air out his knees.”

The lineups for Game 4 tonight, with postseason statistics (batting average, home runs and runs batted in (or earned-run average for pitchers)::

Troy is a former Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies beat writer for The Denver Post. He joined the news organization in 2002 as the Rockies' beat writer and became a Broncos beat writer in 2014 before assuming the lead role ahead of the 2015 season. He left The Post in 2015.

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